New to gardening... questions!

[jordynsmommy042]

Hello everybody so I am new to this forum as well as gardening in general. We are starting our first garden that measures 10x25. So far we have put down aged manure and tilled it up. We purchased plants yesterday as well as seeds and plan on putting them in the ground this weekend. Do any of you recommend anything else other than the aged manure we already put down?

What is the best way to plant potatoes? Can you use a regular potatoe with eyes or sprouts?

I was also thinking about putting some plants in pots to help from using up all my garden space. What are the best plants to put into pots. Carrots? Onions? Bush beans?

Also, have any of you planted canteloupe? Are they hard to grow?

Aye yi yi... I am so new at this and have been trying to do alot of research. It just seems like there is so much to learn! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

[rainbowgardener]

Start a compost pile! It won't help you right now, but by the end of the season you will have lovely home-made compost to add to your soil.

Potatoes can be grown in large containers. Yes, you can plant regular store bought potatoes if they sprout. Just cut it in chunks, making sure each chunk has a sprout. Bury them in rich soil. Once it has sprouted a few inches, bury most of the stem except the top few leaves. Do that again a few times as it grows, so that your original seed potato ends up buried 9" - 12" down. That space between the seed potato and the soil surface is where your new potatoes will grow.

I think carrots are a big waste of container space. Plant a carrot seed and it sits there for six months and then you pull one carrot from that spot. IMHO containers are better for things that keep on producing, like beans, tomatoes, peppers, greens.

I didn't find cantaloupe hard to grow, but if you have critters around, it's hard to get to eat any. I have raccoons, groundhogs and other critters and they all love melons.

[greenstubbs]

Melons in general are pretty easy to grow. I've done H-dews, cantalopes, and H2O melon, didn't realize how much room that H2O's eat up but they were sweet! I'm doing my melons again on a trellis. This is my first year for spuds and I'm following this example to make it happen. https://ft2garden.powweb.com/sinfonian/?page_id=12 I made mine a 2x3 ft., I started them on valentines day and there doing great. I have some that I sprouted as well as store bought. Mine are doing better than the others. Will see what happens come harvest time. Things that grow good in pots are cucks, maters, peppers, I know there others but those are my 3. I did do a acorn squash last year in one it did ok in a pot, not great. At least it didn't get beetled like the year before. I find the bigger the pot the better for anything, mine measure about 18x18x16 and sometimes I think there to small but get good results. Growing crops is a trail and error thing, learn from your mistakes and reap your bounties. Just keep reading and searhing the web for good intell that your looking for, here's just a couple that I use.
Crops in general-- https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn_garden/veg.html
Good info on compsting-- https://www.klickitatcounty.org/SolidWaste/default.asp?fCategoryIDSelected=965105457
As I always say, "it's the grand experiment". Good Luck

[jordynsmommy042]

Thank you very much everybody! I have two galanized tubs that I put my onions in. My smaller pots I am going to put my herbs in. I just wanted to be safe and keep my tomatos, cukes, and lettuce in the ground. Now, I just need to make my own trellis. We are planting the rest tomorrow. I am so excited to find out the outcome! Thank you so much everybody for the info!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Last bit of advice--gardening is not rocket science, but it is very enjoyable. Seeing the blossoms develop into vegetables, watching the plants grow, harvesting, and best of all, eating your very own home-grown produce is absolute heaven. Don't agonize, enjoy!

This is very good advice. Relax , don't over think it.

Eric